


At First and Second Sight

by chofi



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, ff7 secret santa 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13121334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chofi/pseuds/chofi
Summary: A collection of short scenes showing how your friend's girlfriend can become your friend (and girlfriend), too.





	At First and Second Sight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kitsunebaba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsunebaba/gifts).



_I - The Hero's Oath_

Aerith looked up from the flower bed she was working on. "Why don't you bring any of your friends to visit?"

Zack made a noise that was part confusion, part apprehension. "I thought..." he trailed off, going back to making inarticulate noises. He added hand gestures that he hoped Aerith would understand as a combination of "Turk surveilance", "Soldier responsibilities", and "not knowing who to trust". Zack sighed. "It's--"

"--complicated." Aerith finished.

"Yeah," Zack answered lamely. Even though it was. A normal guy would've had his normal friends meet his normal girlfriend. However, nobody in their equation was normal; not Zack, not Aerith, not any one of Zack's "work buddies". It was just a whole lot of complicated.

"It'd still be nice, though," Aerith continued. She went to work on the flowers again. "To learn a little bit more about your life."

Zack could hear the disappointment in Aerith's voice, even though she probably thought she was hiding it well. He considered the possibilities and shrugged his shoulders in a silent "fuck it".

"I'll bring somebody, someday."

"Really?" The way Aerith's voice rose up whenever she was happy got to him every damn time. She got up from the flower bed and flew to hug Zack.

Zack circled his arms around Aerith. "I can't give you an exact day--" because he sure as hell didn't have one "--but it'll be someday." If he got to know someone who wouldn't creep Aerith out or outright scare her to death, which was a pretty fucking big "if" when it came to Shinra in general and Soldier in particular.

Aerith let go, and Zack followed her lead. "You promise?" she asked, holding up her right hand, the pinkie extended.

Zack linked his right pinkie around hers. "It's a deal."

_II - The Shadow_

Zack grinned and gestured to Cloud with a flourish. Cloud tried not to feel like a prize on a game show. "Aerith, this is Cloud Strife. Cloud, Aerith Gainsborough." Zack stuck out his tongue at Aerith. "See? I told you it'd be someday."

Aerith smiled. Her eyes were green, a green that didn't remind Cloud of mako or materia, but the foothills of the Nibel mountains in summer. He'd thought that finding that sort of green would be impossible in Midgar. "Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand.

Cloud blinked out of his reverie and took her hand in his. "Yeah, same."

"Takes a little while for Cloud to remember how to people," Zack said, ruffling Cloud's hair. "You've just got to keep on talking to him. He comes around if you offer him a treat, too."

Cloud slapped at Zack's hand. "Zack!" Cloud barked, trying to fix his hair. "Stop making me sound like I'm some kind of pet."

Zack grinned and went in for another ruffle. "Nah, you're not a pet. You're my scouting mount." He got his hand out of range before Cloud could do anything to it.

"It'd make more sense if _I_ was the one mounting _you_ ," Cloud retorted, wishing he knew whether or not Zack had made his head look like a chocobo's butt more so than usual.

Aerith giggled. "Oh, _really_?" 

Cloud swallowed, having forgotten, somehow, that Aerith was there. So much for good first impressions. 

"So, how often _do_ you think about mounting Zack?" Aerith asked, a picture of innocence and trust.

Zack smiled at Cloud, a picture that was definitely not innocence and certainly not trust. "She asked you a question."

Cloud took a swing at him. Like hell he was saying anything. There was no good answer to give.

"You're friends, right? You'd better kiss and make up after this," Aerith said, giggling.

It scared Cloud how much Aerith's idea didn't scare him. 

Should it scare him?

_III - The Living Legend_

Cloud offered Sephiroth a brave smile; something that would accompany the announcement of hard times and "making the most of things" in the name of victory. "Aerith isn't weird, I promise. Aerith's just... Aerith."

"Ringing endorsement of the girlfriend, Cloud," said Zack, reaching over to ruffle the younger man's hair.

Sephiroth adjusted his gloves. He was in territory that was, while not outright hostile, far from secure. The stares on their train down had shifted from nearly reverent to barely tolerating their existence with each stop that went further below the Plate. "I don't think that your Ms. Gainsborough would--"

Zack rolled his eyes and let out a groan. "Seph, _please_ don't talk like this is a period drama. It's Aerith. Her name is--"

"Aerith!" Cloud cried, and ran to give her a hug. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. Seeing Cloud react without the goal of masking fear was novel, to say the least. If only for that, Ms. Gainsborough--Aerith--should be commended.

Zack led Sephiroth to the still hugging couple. "All right, Aerie, time to meet the boss. This is Sephiroth. Seph, this is Aerith. _Aerith_."

Aerith let go of Cloud, giving him a slight peck on the cheek. She smiled. Her eyes were green, a green that made a small, icy knot form at the pit of Sephiroth's stomach. He'd thought that level of tension was far removed from any point of Midgar. "Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand.

Sephiroth took her hand in his. The icy knot blossomed. There was some part of him, a long-dormant part, that screamed to life. It screamed for fire. The only solution was fire. Fire to melt the ice of fear, fire to purge _their_ taint from--

Logic held the screams at bay. Sephiroth put his faith in Zack, and Zack put his faith in Aerith. This place was far from dangerous. _Aerith_ was far from dangerous.

Wasn't she? 

As Sephiroth let go of Aerith's hand, she nodded at him. "I think we need to talk later. About a lot of things."

_IV - The Start of Something New_

The rain seemed like it would never end, but Aerith didn't mind. After the emptyness above the slums of Midgar a rainy day was a welcome relief. Wide open blue skies still made her anxious, but clouds and rain she could deal with.

 _Just clouds?_ Zack would've asked. _You're okay with cloudy days, but what about Zacky days? Or Sephy days?_

Aerith smiled to herself and wished for maybe the hundredth time that Kalm wasn't so far from Midgar and that Soldiers weren't dispatched everywhere in the world. _Cloudy days and Zacky days and Sephy days are all fine by me_ , she responded to her mental Zack.

Someone pounded at the door.

Aerith picked up her Restore materia, then headed for the door. She gave her mother's materia a soft pat and then opened the door.

Zack and Cloud, soaked to the bone and pale as death, stared through Aerith for a moment, focused on her, then melted in relief. "All of you, get in," she said. Zack and Cloud carried a slumped over black bundle, hefting it over the threshold.

As Aerith closed and bolted the door, Zack and Cloud deposited their bundle on the couch, revealing an unconscious Sephiroth. 

"What happened to him?" Aerith whispered. Sephiroth didn't seem to need healing, but she kept her Restore on her just in case. 

"It's complicated," Zack and Cloud said in unison.

"But you'll tell me," Aerith said.

Zack nodded. "We learned a few things about Soldiers on this last trip. There's _a lot_ to talk about."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this story went to a lot of places. I hope that the voices are distinct; that's my main goal here. 
> 
> It's been a _long_ time since I've written my FF7 OT4. Like, _Livejournal_ long. It's good to get back to your roots.
> 
> I hope you enjoy, Kitsunebaba.


End file.
